2025/09/04 by Dagnew Tigabu1*, Hailemariam Gezie2
paper · doi:10.20372/nadre:17230
Weight gain in low birth‑weight babies remains a challenge to the management of the neonatal period<br> in low and middle‑income countries like Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the time<br> to adequate weight gain and its predictors among low‑birth‑weight preterm neonates admitted to<br> neonatal intensive care unit of public hospitals in Bahir Dar City. An institution‑based retrospective<br> follow‑up study was conducted from March 4 to April 3, 2023, using three years of data. About 344<br> low‑birth‑weight preterm babies were recruited and followed up until 28 days of age. Model goodness‑<br> of‑fit was checked by Cox Snell residuals test. The Cox‑Proportional Hazards Model was used to assess<br> predictors of weight gain with a statistically significant level of P‑value < 0.05. The median weight<br> gain time was 15 days with an overall incidence density rate of 6.3 per 100 person‑day of observation<br> (95% CI 0.055, 0.071). Absence of medical problems of mothers (AHR: 1.63, 95% CI 1.015, 4.614),<br> spontaneous vaginal mode of delivery (AHR: 1.53, 95% CI 1.028, 2.593), and long duration of labor<br> (AHR: 3.18, 95% CI 1.579, 6.413) were significant predictors. The time of adequate weight gain was<br> long. Early detection and management of significant predictors is recommended.<br>